At Denwakan’s Lakewood, Colorado dojo, we have separate karate classes for very young children, older children and teenagers, and adults. We also offer a karate class that is primarily for seniors. Most of our classes include students at all belt and ability levels from white belt through black belt.
New students participate in the warm up exercises and the drills for basic techniques and skills such as punches, kicks and blocks. As other students in the class begin training on more advanced karate techniques such as advanced katas, one of the senior students will work individually with the new student on basic karate techniques such as punches, kicks and blocks.
Students typically arrive at our Lakewood, Colorado karate dojo about 15-20 minutes before class to stretch and warm up.
While each class is different, most of the karate classes cover a range of activities that help you build core skills and techniques. Here’s how most classes are organized:
Warm-up: Just like any exercise routine, at Denwakan, we start by helping you get your body loose and warmed up. This typically involves a series of stretches (including dynamic stretching) followed by movement exercises to warm up your muscles so you begin to sweat. Some of the exercises include crunches to tighten the core, jumping jacks, push-ups, in-place kicks, punches and blocks (usually starting slow and then speeding up) as well as exercises to loosen your hips. There are many variations with the goal of preparing your body and mind for kata and/or sparring.
Basic Techniques: After your body is loose and warmed up, we typically start by working on basic techniques.
Basic techniques are the foundation of karate. They include punches, kicks and blocks. However there are multiple variations of each. After warm-ups, we may work on in-place punches, kicks and blocks and then move on to moving punches, kicks and blocks. While the ultimate goal may be speed, quickness, and sharpness, our classes start by teaching the proper techniques, with an emphasis on balance and following your body. Often, we try to break down each technique into a series of movements. Then we use repetition so your body learns how the movements flow together and you develop muscle memory and precision.
Kata and Sparring:
- Kata involves choreographed sequences of movements that simulate fighting against imaginary opponents. After a student has a basic understanding of the blocking, punching and kicking techniques, we begin teaching one of the basic katas. Kata training helps develop coordination, balance, and proper technique application. Senior students work on more advanced katas, but often practice the foundational katas along with new students. The beginning (pinan) katas all have elements that are used in the more advanced katas, so continuing to train in the pinan katas is something that continues throughout your karate journey.
- Sparring: In some classes, instead of working on katas, we may focus on sparring techniques. (We also offer a class dedicated to sparring training.) Learning to spar includes learning to move, maintaining proper distance from your opponent, looking for openings to attack or counter-attack and using proper technique as you strike your opponent. Here at Denwakan Karate, we teach both one-step sparring and free sparring.
- One-step sparring involves a series of choreographed punches, kicks and blocks with a partner (your opponent). One partner attacks, while the other defends and counters.
- Free sparring is more free-style as the name implies. However, you still want to work with your training partner (in controlled sparring) so you can learn to focus on timing, distance, and control.
- In class, we try to ensure that all students are under control at all times to avoid injuries. However, the techniques that you learn have applicability to sparring in tournaments and self defense in general.
Additional Elements:
- Discipline and Respect: Throughout the class, there’s an emphasis on discipline, respect, and following proper etiquette. This includes bowing to Sensei and your instructors and saying “Osu” to acknowledge instructions.
- Self-Defense Applications: Some instructors might incorporate self-defense techniques that build upon the core karate skills.
Variations:
- The specific structure and emphasis might vary depending on the instructor and the needs of the students in that class.
- Beginning students will focus more on basics and proper form, while advanced students will train on more complex techniques and sparring.
If you live in the Denver metro area and you’re interested in trying karate, please email or call us today at 303-234-9236 to schedule your free trial class.